In this series we’ll take a fresh look at resources and how they are used. We’ll go beyond natural resources like air and water to look at how efficiency in raw materials can boost the bottom line and help the environment. We’ll also examine the circular economy and design for reuse — with an eye toward honoring those resources we do have.

While changes at home can’t solve the many environmental crises we face today, they can sure help. Through this series, we’ll explore how initiatives like curbside compost pick-up, rebates on compost bins, and efficient appliances can help families reduce their impact without breaking the bank.

Despite decades -- centuries even -- of global efforts, slavery can still be found not just on the high seas, but around the world and throughout various supply chains. Through this series on forced labor, sponsored by C&A Foundation, we’ll explore many different types of bonded and forced labor and highlight industries where this practice is alive and well today.

In this series we examine how companies should respond to national controversy like police violence and the BLM movement to best support employees and how can companies work to improve equality by increasing diversity in their ranks directly.

Compost is often considered a panacea for the United States’ tremendous food waste problem. Indeed, composting is a much better option than putting spoiled food in a garbage can destined for a landfill.

Here’s some crunchy news for you. Usually when we hear about a chip-maker adapting the latest technology, we think of Intel, Motorola or AMD. But snack chip manufacturer Frito-Lay announced last week that they will be rolling out their first five all-electric delivery trucks in NYC, setting the stage for sixteen additional trucks this year and 150 more next year, making it the largest commercial electric truck fleet in North America.

The company expects the trucks, manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles to reduce annual fuel consumption by 500,000 gallons annually, which, they claim will produce 75% less CO2 emissions than conventional diesel trucks. That would, of course, depend on a number of factors, including how the electricity used to charge the vehicle batteries is produced. If charged using non-fossil fuel energy sources, that number could potentially be even higher. The trucks themselves emit zero tailpipe emissions. They can run up to 100 miles on a charge, making them well-suited for a dense urban environment. They are also substantially quieter than conventional trucks. According to Mike O’Connell, director of fleet capability for Frito Lay North America, “Frito-Lay has implemented bold goals for reducing our use of key resources such as fuel to ultimately help us reduce our overall environmental impact. There are real economic and environmental benefits to electric trucks.”

In addition to NYC, the company will also deploy electric trucks in Ft. Worth, TX and Columbus, OH. The company already has six electric trucks operating in Canada. The initial NYC rollout was funded through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenience foods business unit of PepsiCo. The company opened a LEED Gold certified distribution center in Rochester, NY in 2005.

Meanwhile, Smith Electric received $32 million in DOE funding back in March. In addition to Frito-Lay, they are also currently filling orders for Coca-Cola and AT&T.

Meanwhile, hybrid truck sales are expected to reach 4850 by the end of this year, with Coca-Cola being one of the heavy subscribers.

This is all good news since, according to Scott Harrison, CEO of hybrid truck-maker Azure Dynamics, commercial trucks account for about 12 percent of miles driven but produce about 25 percent of all emissions.

RP Siegel, author and inventor, shines a powerful light on numerous environmental and technological topics. His work has appeared in Triple Pundit, GreenBiz, Justmeans, CSRWire, Sustainable Brands, PolicyInnovations, Social Earth, 3BL Media, ThomasNet, Huffington Post, Strategy+Business, Mechanical Engineering, and engineering.com among others . He is the co-author, with Roger Saillant, of Vapor Trails, an adventure novel that shows climate change from a human perspective. RP is a professional engineer - a prolific inventor with 52 patents and President of Rain Mountain LLC a an independent product development group. RP recently returned from Abu Dhabi where he traveled as the winner of the 2015 Sustainability Week blogging competition.Contact: bobolink52@gmail.com